Some materials and additives must be steered clear of because they cause harmful emissions at production, incineration or disposal. Examples of additives: dyes, heat or UV stabilisers, certain fire-retardants, plasticizing agents, fillers, inflating agents and anti-oxidants. Heavy metals, asbestos and CFC’s are materials best avoided. Non-renewable raw material should also be avoided, for example: fossil fuel, such as crude oil, and mineral materials, such as copper, tin, zinc and platinum. It is, when possible, wise to use recycled material, material previously used in products. Some materials have a larger energy content than others, meaning that disassembly and production of the material is highly energy consuming. The use of this type of materials can only be acceptable when they posses other positive environmental merits, effectively employed in the product. For instance, aluminium, although highly energy consuming, is easily transportable due to its limited weight and is very suitable for recycling.

• Opt for materials with a closed cycle
• Avoid toxic and poisonous materials
• Avoid scarce materials
• Opt for renewable materials
• Opt for materials with a low energy content
• Opt when possible for recycled materials
• Opt for materials that can be recycled
• Opt for biodegradable materials

A clever design can cut back on the number of materials used. This strategy is a highly effective prevention tool. Limiting the volume will also make the product more suitable for transport (weight and volume reduction).

• Reduce the weight
• Reduce the volume
• Dematerialize (e.g. voicemail instead of answering machines)
• Opt for lighter structures

In choosing production techniques, manufacturers should strive for techniques with a low environmental impact. Meaning, a low, non-detrimental use of additives and auxiliary agents, low energy and raw material fall-out, and minimal waste.

• Reduce the weight
• Opt for environmental friendly production processes
• Minimize production processes
• Efficient use of preferably sustainable energy
• Efficient use of preferably clean auxiliary agents

Enterprises can fine tune their production processes to avoid or neutralize the emissions of harmful substances en become CO2 neutral. They can possibly partake in CO2 compensation plans.

• Low emissions
• CO2 neutral production processes
• CO2 compensation plans

The product must be efficiently transported from factory to consumer on every level, i.e. packaging, mode of transport and logistics. Reducing the packaging required signifies cutting down on material and transport weight (read: transport energy).

The strain on the environment by e.g. air transport is far greater than by boat, which should influence the choice of transport. Optimal loading of the means of transport and efficient distribution logistics can be helpful in reducing the environmental impact.

• Lesser and cleaner packaging material
• Packaging made from biodegradable material
• Reducing transport volume
• Opt for the correct means of transport
• Optimize logistics

In this phase auxiliary agents (energy, water, detergent, coffee) and other products (batteries, filters) are needed to operate the product. This is also valid for the maintenance and repair of the product. The product should thus be designed to avoid this types of waste and posses more environmental friendly alternatives.

• Reduce energy use
• Opt for sustainable sources of energy
• Reduce waste in the usage phase
• Reduce the need for auxiliary agents
• Opt for environmentally friendly auxiliary agents

This criterion of course doesn’t apply to all types of products. Many products have no need for auxiliary agents during the usage phase, such as furniture, bags, etc.

Both the technical lifecycle (the time span a product functions as it should) and the aesthetic lifecycle (the time span the consumer finds the product attractive) must be prolonged, so the product can be used longer for its intended purpose.

The following principles all strive for the same: when a product satisfies the needs of the consumer for a longer period of time, the inclination of the consumer to continuously buy new products will be limited. A product that is no longer technically or aesthetically optimal, can be ‘revived’ and still meet the (altered) needs of the consumer by opting for modularity or adjustability.

• simplified maintenance and repair
• modularity
• decreasing fashion-consciousness
• more intensive and emotional relation between consumer and product

This term refers to what happens with the product after being discarded by its first owner. Is it taken back or entirely reused? Are valuable parts or only raw materials reused? Or will the product be incinerated, or worse, simply dumped on a garbage belt? Or is it a combination of the above waste processing possibilities?

A myriad of questions that up to now were hardly relevant in the designing phase, must be answered. Which parts are worth reusing? How do we disassemble them most efficiently? Who is responsible for gathering and processing the product? How should the product be designed in order to fit the selected EOL system?

Partly by the introduction of legislation on manufacturer responsibility and a take-back obligation, and the increasing environmental awareness, every designer and manufacturer should be able to answer above questions. This means that they systematically need to set up an EOL system for each product, that reduces the environmental impact and that is financially viable.

• Selection of EOL system according to the cascade thinking pattern
• Valuable parts are easily extractable: Design for Disassembly
• Reducing the different types of material
• Opt for compatible materials when the parts aren’t extractable

Closing cycles by reusing the product, parts or materials, aims to decrease the environmental impact by reclaiming the already invested materials and energy needed to produce the product. Consequently, the environmental impact caused by material seizing, use of energy and harmful emissions, is considerably lowered for the new product. The more the product remains in its original form, the more environmental gain, provided that take-back and recycling techniques are set up. A good knowledge on extraction and recycling techniques is of course essential.

Under this category we catalogue other interesting information. This could be on specific efforts or attained certificates (ISO 14001 certificate, "cradle tot cradle" certification, FSC), CO2 neutral production, sustainability strategies of enterprises, participation to events such as Fair Trade, Product Red, 1% for the planet, ONE, etc.